This invention is relates to menu driven graphical User display interfaces.
Consumer electronic devices such as Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) players, combination Personal Computer and television devices (PC/TV systems), satellite receivers and Internet compatible devices (e.g. NETPCs) increasingly involve complex User interactive tasks. These tasks include initial device set-up, selection of operational functions, programming User preferences, determining conditional access and User entitlement to programs. Other tasks include operating Application programs, selecting audio/visual characteristics, selecting communication functions and obtaining help or User instructions from a manual, for example. A problem is presented by the need to devise a User interface for such devices that supports these complex User interactive tasks whilst providing a simple command interface suitable for the general public.
This problem and derivative problems are addressed by a system according to the present invention.
A system including an on-screen User interface display generates a display of multiple hierarchically ordered menus. The menus include a current menu and a preceding parent menu showing a selection path from the parent menu to the current menu. A menu selection item within the hierarchical menu display provides a User at least one of a) a display of control information for the device, and b) control parameter data entry capability. The on-screen display is updated in response to User menu item selection.